I can't believe it's real!

My magazine article is OUT!  It's so surreal to be looking at myself in a mag.  EEEE!  But I am very, VERY excited and proud of myself.  I really hope my article will be able to inspire some people.

Without further ado:

To get a better look at the article and view the entire magazine, you can visit it HERE.  It will open right up to the article.  Don't forget to check the front over where my name is smack dab front and center.  I'm also on pg. 6 in the table to contents.

Thanks for getting excited with me!!

HE'S HERE!

Owen Jacob was born today at 6:39pm EST :D

He is a healthy little boy 6lbs, 14oz. Mom is doing great!

....More updates as they come in!!

CONGRATS Stacy and Jeff! You're going to make amazing parents!!

Rude Awakening

This is the cutest thing!  

a BANG'n idea...

I've been toying with the idea of bangs for a while now. I love the way they look but i'm afraid of looking like a 12 year old. I was never sure how'd they look on me until I started playing on the internet. Here are some "celeb styles" that I got to try on:

Selena Gomez: thick and textured

Cameron Diaz: long and whispy

Camilla Belle: long and thin

note: my hair would be shorter than shown in the above picture

What do you think of me with bangs? Should I take the plunge or keep rockin the "pob?"

Happy Birthday Baby Girl!

Today is Starlit's 2nd birthday. She hasn't changed one bit!

Lil' Boo, just know your parents love you very much!

Sorry about the occasional baths. We do it for your own good!

We hope you have a wonderful day chasing invisible bugs, laying in the sun, tackling your brother, and walking around Kooing for no reason!

Happy Birthday Jess!

In honor of your birthday, 10 things I absolutely love about you (in no particular order!)

1.  Your faith in the Lord and your drive to grow closer with Him.

2.  Your willingness to try new things and go on new adventures.

3.  Your ability to give the BEST hugs EVER!

4.  How your trying to really figure out yourself and always striving for self improvement.

5.  Your love for travel.

6.  Your beautiful songbird like voice that gives me chills every time you sing.  Breathtaking!

7.  Your laugh!  It can make even the hardest heart soften. :)

8.  Your love and loyalty to your family.

9.  You make me feel so loved by ALWAYS giving me the words of affirmation that I need.

10.  Your a wonderful friend!  You genuinely care about people.

I hope you have a wonderful birthday filled with joy and blessings!  

Cooking for my husband pt.2

Week 2, dinner 2 of 4.  If you recall, I decided to cook for my husband for the next four weeks, once a week.  

Last night I decided to make a Cobb Salad.  Nothing fancy, I know, but it's a lot of prep work getting all the ingredients together, and then some more work to make the salad look nice. Here is the finished salad:

Ingredients from left to right: butter lettuce underneath, avocado, almond crusted chicken breast, blue cheese, cucumbers, bacon, hard boiled egg and tomatoes.

I topped it all off with a lime vinaigrette.  It was DELICIOUS and more importantly, A loved it!

I paired the salad with a white wine from The Magnificent Wine Co.  They are a local winemaker in Walla Walla that we will be visiting in June who makes fantastic wines!

This wine is a chardonnay blend:  79% Chardonnay, 6% Muscat Caneli, 5% Pinot Grigio, 5% Gewurztaniner, and 5% Riesling.  It was delicous!

I've got two more meals to prepare.  Anyone have any suggestions or good receipes to share?!

Happy Earth Day!

Shaheen Jafargholi

If you haven't seen this yet, watch it! This little boy is so cute and a natural born performer. He's just AMAZING to watch!

Weekend Update

Hey all! Hope you had a fabulous Weekend! Seattle had beautiful weather so we spent most of the weekend outdoors.

Thursday, although technically not weekend, started off my weekend. It was gorgeous out and A and I decided to work from home. He spent it outside prepping a new garden bed to plant my flowers. He also mowed the lawn, did some laundry and chopped a bunch of wood. (I know! What a blessed wife I am!) I had to go into work for a few hours to get some stuff done, then left to go home to find him outside working away. I chose to keep him company as he was finishing his garden bed. I brought out a blanket, my lap top and a magazine and soaked in the sun. Rough life I lead... :)

Friday I worked from home again. This time for real. Thursday evening I attended this very difficult workout class only to find I was the only one at that class that day. Therefore, it was more like a personal training secession and I got my BUTT KICKED!! So when I woke up Friday morning, I was exhausted and VERY sore. Staying home seemed like a good idea! But, I quickly recovered in just enough time to go to happy hour with a girlfriend.

Saturday A and I continued to work outside. We finished the new garden bed, prepped the other garden beds, built and installed trellises for the garden and cleaned out the garage. Then... we found out one of my cache's got MUGGLED! I guess some rebellious teens had a little pow-wow in the woods with beer and glow sticks, got high, found my cache somehow, and took almost all the contents. They even stole my travel bug. :'( I was SO heart broken! So, maybe this weekend I'll have to replant it somewhere else. Dumb drunkin'-high teens!

Sunday A planted some lettuce, onions carrots and spinach! YUMMM! I can't wait to have my own veggies on hand. We have a LOT more to plant, but it's still a little too early to pant the others. I went to one of my friend's baby shower. There were a TON of people there and she got so many gifts! I don't think she'll need to buy baby clothes for a looooong time! I won some beautiful potted flowers by correctly guessing the circumference of her belly. I got it SPOT ON! I guess I have a nack for that as I won the same game at Stacy's baby shower.

What did you do this weekend?

Photo Shoot

If you remember a few months ago, I talked about being asked to be featured to be in a magazine. Well, my photo shoot was today and I think it went pretty well! I'm not going to lie, I was COMPLETELY nervous so I hope that didn't reflect in my pictures.

My photographer Gerald was very nice.  I had a blast working with him. We met at a local park and took some shots of me hiking and running. I am really nervous how the running pictures turned out and not really sure which action shot they'll use. I guess it's going to be a surprise!

The issue will be out in just a few weeks! (May 1st) I'll also be online so I'll make sure to post a link for your viewing pleasure.

In the mean time, here's a little teaser of one of the running shots I did.  See the photographer hiding behind the trees?  :)

Cooking for my husband pt. 1

The husband and I are on different schedules this month.  Monday and Wed are the days where I get home late and Tuesday and Thursday are the days where A gets home late.

Tonight, I decided to bless my husband by cooking for him.  I figured after a long day at work and a hard workout, he'd be tired and not want to cook.  (for those of you who don't know, A is the cook in the family, and I clean up after the cook!)  So, I made dinner tonight.

I decided to make a goat cheese stuffed breaded chicken breast with asparagus.  It's actually quite a healthy meal. 

This is what it ended up looking like.  It was FANTASTIC if I don't say so myself!  No offense to my wonderful husband but it was the BEST goat cheese stuffed chicken breast i've EVER had!  

I have decided that i'm going to continue to bless him; once a week I will cook for him for a month.  3 more meals to cook.  Stay tuned....

ps.  as of now, the kitchen has NOT been cleaned.  I wonder if he'll keep up his end of the "I cook, you clean" deal.  We'll see... :)

Update:  The kitchen was cleaned!! Yay for awesome husbands!

5/7/09:  Here is the recipe:

Serves 2

Ingredients:

-2 boneless chicken breasts

For stuffing:

-2oz soft goat cheese

-1 tsp softened butter (optional)

-1 tsp freshly cut chives 

-1 tsp minced parsley leaves  

-1 tsp fresh thyme

-juice of 1/2 lemon

-1/2 tsp fresh garlic

-Salt and pepper to taste

-Secrete Ingredient= 2oz Compte Cheese (can be found in speciality cheese sections)

For Breading:

-1/3 cup egg whites or egg beaters

-1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs (regular bread crumbs works too, it's just not as good)

Directions: 

Pre head oven to 425 degrees F

Cut a deep pocket on the thick side of the chicken, about 3/4 the way down.  Be careful not to cut through the other side of the chicken.

In a small bowl, add all of the stuffing ingredients (except the Compte) and mix together. Divide batter in 1/2 and stuff chicken breast.  Add the Compte cheese on top of batter.  Close shut.

Dip both sides of chicken breast in egg batter, then Panko crumbs and place on baking sheet.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until completely cooked.  

Serve with your favorite veggies!  Enjoy! :)

Earthy Green

Not really sure what the theme of this wedding board is. I'm gonna say earthy green. Enjoy!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter everyone!  I hope you all have a great day :)  The day started off by a trip from the easter bunny....

These are the goods that he left.  Some popcorn with cute little popcorn bags, chocolate (of course), bagels for breakfast..mmmm!, a delicious soy latte, as well as some spring flowers to display in my home.

Close up of the flowers.  I'm anxiously waiting for them to bloom!  :)

Although the Easter Bunny did remember that we moved and managed to find our new house, A and I still had time to reflect on the REAL meaning of Easter.  I am grateful that we worship and amazing God who not only keeps His promises, but also chose us even though we are completely undeserving of His love.

Hope you and your family had a wonderful Easter and had time to reflect on the real meaning of the day! :)

 

Extreme Body Makeover...

A and I took this class last month called "Extreme Body Makeover."  It met for 70 minutes, twice a week, for 4 weeks.  It was a TOUGH class that kicked our butts each time.  My sister can testify as to the difficulty of the class as she took it once with us when she came to visit.  A quote from her: "When we were doing our ab work, I was praying the entire time i'd make it through the class."  hehe...

We took measurements the first and last day of class to compare our results.  In one month I lost....

- 2 lbs

- 1 inch off my thigh

- 1 inch of my waist

- 1 3/4 inches off my hips

- 1.3% of my body fat

Yeah, i'm pretty happy about that.  However, I did manage to GAIN 3/4 an inch on my chest?!  I wont be complaining about that though.  I'm just happy because  I'm back to where I was LAST June :)

So, what's next for me?  While A will continue to take the Extreme Body Makeover class for another month, I have signed up for a "Performance Training" package.  It consists of 4 different classes to choose from.  What is unique is it's almost like having your own personal trainer because the classes can range from 1-5 people.  Either way, I will receive some great 1:1 attention.  In addition, I have full access to all their top of the line and strength training and cardio equipment which is sure to bring my workouts to the next level. cardio

The best thing about all this is:  1. It's a 6 month program which includes 6 dietitian appointments valued at $450.  2. I get this 100% free as one of the perks for being a mentor at the club.  :)

Watch out American Gladiators!  I'm coming for ya! ;)

I bought it!

I bought Adam Lambert's studio version of Mad World from i-tunes.  I highly suggest getting it. It's only $.99 and it's the full version of the song, not just the 1 minute cut he sang on the show.  *SWOON!*

Wikipedia game: Five Clicks to Jesus

I find myself bored sometimes, surfing the same webpages over and over. I recently discovered this fun Wikipedia game. It's called Five Clicks to Jesus. You don't have to use Jesus, you could do Kevin Bacon, President Obama, Oprah... whomever.

Directions for Play:
1. Go to Wikipedia
2. Click “Random Article” (in the box under the big ol’ Wiki puzzle logo)
3. Player has five (5) clicks to get from the random article to the article “Jesus”

I've gotten to Jesus (twice) in only 4 clicks.

Gissey Le Vieil > France > History of Christianity > Jesus

Marietta, Mississippi > Marriage > Early > Christianity > Jesus


**Warning, it's addictive! **


What were your results?

Mad World? More like MAD Viewers!

As those of you who watch AI, you know that Adam Lamberts song got cut off.  :( Of all the people to be cut off too...

For your convenience, I've posted it here:

I'm speechless.... WOWWWIEEE!!

Reward!

8 straight hours, 1 small conference room, 4 strong Indian accents, 2 bosses watching, nay, critiquing.... 10 set of eyes on me all day!

Stress?  Pressure?  You betcha!  I never thought this India training would be so grueling, intense, and exhausting.

Today marked my 1/2 point.  Two more days!  So, I decided to reward myself:

1. Nice long run in the gorgeous sunny weather we had.  Gotta enjoy it while I can!

2. Beautifully smooth glass of Syrah

3. A fun-filled night of American Idol!

My reward for completing my training will be to have my husband home again!! :D  Everyone say it with me:  "Awwwwww!!!"  :P

Side Note:  I cannot believe I used the words "reward" and "run" in the same post!  My how my life have changed!  A Year and 1/2 ago, I could have substituted the run for a big ol' package of cookie dough!  hehe.

R.I.P :(

Sunday afternoon, A's grandfather passed away :(  Although it was somewhat sudden, it was quick and painless.  After church, he wasn't feeling to well and decided to lay down.  He pass away soon after that in his sleep.

He was a believer and was sold out for the Lord.  He is now with his Creator in peace and pain free.

The funeral will we this Wednesday.  A is flying to Arkansas Tuesday.  We have decided it would be best for me to stay home so I can continue with my India training.  Plus last minute tickets we're more expensive than we had planned.  :(

Please pray for A and his family, especially A's father.

Weekend Update

Friday I worked from home.  I had to sit and wait for our patio furniture to arrive.  It arrived! - and looks awesome!  I'll post before/after pictures soon.  Friday night A and I stayed in and watched the 3rd Indiana Jones movie.  (My FAV Indiana Jones movie!!)  Sean Coney, who I am not a fan of at all, was AMAZING in that movie.  Who knew the 3rd movie would be so funny? Did he win any awards for that movie?  I sure hope so, maybe i'll look up....

Saturday we had a lazy morning, ran some errands, and then did some wine tasting with our friend cbro.  Not that anyone cares about the specifics, but i'd like to have them in writing for my future reference.  

Brian Carter - Great wine! We LOVE their Byzance - Southern France, Rhone-style blend. At $32 a bottle, it's a little pricey but delicious never the less.

Hollywood Hills- Very nice wines.  I felt the bottles were a little overpriced for the quality but it was a pleasant tasting.  (note to self: parents would like this one as there is a cute wine shop around the corner as well as a huge nick-nack store nearby as well.)

J Bookwalter- They had a $10 tasting fee refundable with purchase.  The fee was a little high (most are $5) but they offered 7 tastings.  All wines were good.  I loved 2 of their cabs but not worth the $30+ price tag.  We bought their Subplot No. 22. - 31% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 18% Malbec, 14% Cabernet Franc, 10% Syrah, 5% Petit Verdot.

Woodhouse Family Cellers- Always a favorite of ours.  They were the ones that introduced us to a Malbec and it was love at first pour!  They had just released their 2003 Malbec so we had to go try it.  It's probably no surprise that we loved it and just had to take home a bottle and welcome it to the family :)

Silverlake- Huuuge winery and tasting room.  It was a little confusing as they were offering several tastings.  We read the different tasting options and decided on the Silverlake Reserve Tasting.  The wines were not impressive and the staff was a little stand off-ish.  I don't think we will be back here.

Matthew Cellers- We almost missed this tasting room on the way back home.  It's almost in the middle of no where.  Their wines were great, but I have to mention their 2005 Red Mountain Syrah.  This wine brought tears to my eyes!  I think it's the best wine i've ever drank thus far in my life.  I was in LOVE!  I was in awe that a Syrah so be so smooth and have such a long finish.  It was beautifully and perfectly crafted as if the grapes were stolen out of Heaven.  So, you want to hear that A bought me a case and we lived happily ever after, right?  At a whopping $55 a bottle, I had to leave my new friend, with a saddened heart.  How could I possibly justify spending $55 on this glorious work of art?  I wouldn't want to open it.. I couldn't bare to drink it!  So, if any billionaire friends or relatives are reading this, and you feel the need to blow $660 on a case of wine for me, by all means....  :D  I'd gratefully and humbly accept your offer ;)

After wine tasting, we broke in our patio furniture with some cigars and some grill fired-pizza. Then watched the newest Indiana Jones movie that came out last year.  A little too si-fi for my taste but interesting never the less. 

Sunday was a GORG!  70 degrees.  We did a lot of yard stuff outside with time left for me to soak in the sun.  I got a little pink YAY!  

Back to work on Monday.... I have 4 people coming in from India that I will be training all week.  Its going to be a long week but great exposure for me.  Hopefully all this hard work will get me a nice lil' promotion this fall!  Here's to hoping!!  :D

It's a Race!

My family loves to Geocache.  Actually, it's my Dad and I that are the hard core cachers.  For those of you who don't know what geocaching is, it's basically an outdoor treasure hunt using coordinates.  You can read more about it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geocaching

A component to caching is this thing called a Travel Bug (TB).  It's a dog tag look alike usually attached to a trinket that are placed in the caches.  When someone finds a cache, they have the option to pick up the travel bug and place it in another cache.  The Travel Bugs usually have a mission, ie: travel from CA to NY or visit as many football stadiums as possible.

So why am I writing a post about this?  My Dad and I both own caches.  We have decided to get a travel bug and place it in our caches.  The Mission?  To race each other from our respective caches and be the first TB to reach the other person's cache.

This is my Travel Bug, Ducky.  He has to migrate to his new home in Chicago. 

This is my Dad's TB, Buzz Light Year.  He's gotta make it all the way to Seattle.

We have some fun stakes associated with our race.  Aside from HUUUUGE bragging rights, the loser will donate $25 to the winners local animal shelter/rescue.  

We only have two rules:  1. no friends or family members may assist with moving the travel bug.  2. In order to "win" the travel bug must be placed in the other persons cache.

May the best TB win!  Who will it be?  Buzz or Ducky?  I'll keep you updated! :)

We're booked!

I had mentioned in a previous post that we're going to be celebrating our 3rd year anniversary in Walla Walla. Well, we booked our AMAZING hotel/inn last night!

We'll be staying at Walla Walla Inns at the Vineyard. It's a cute little place 10 minutes from down town Walla Walla, overlooking a huge vineyard. *sigh* It's going to be so peaceful and beautiful. Just look at the view!! :

Yes, that's a salt water pool! There are only 5 rooms total so it should be pretty private and peaceful.

Here is a excerpt from their website explaining our room:

The Mountain East Suite is situated in the northeast corner of the main house looking out at the vineyard and the foothills. This suite has it’s own private entry and outdoor sitting area. This suite has a King Size bed with pillow-top mattress and feather bed. The large room has a sitting area to enjoy the amazing sunrises or watch your flat screen television. The bathroom has a large shower/tub. The swimming pool is just around the other side of the house.

We'll be staying 4 nights/5 days. I'm SO excited!!

Great Prank!

If you've got roomates or a friend you need to get back at, check out this AWESOME prank!

One guy decides to hide in the fridge after telling his roommate that there is a home-made cake inside; watch as the guy climbs into the fridge at 0:12 and then skip ahead to 1:47 to see his roommate go for the cake! The prank works out perfectly…

APRIL FOOLS!!!

Are you kididng me?  I LOOOVE blogging!  And I don't care if the only person who reads my blog is my momma!

Don't worry...I'm not going anywhere!  :D

Farewell and Goodbye :(

Well, I have decided that I'm going to stop blogging.  It's pretty time consuming and sometimes I feel like I'm talking to myself.  :P  

I thought I'd give this blogging thing a shot and a had a nice, although short run.

Thanks to those who have been reading my blog.  Your loyalty meant a lot to me!